Improved method of regulating watches



A. L. DENNISON.

Watch Regulator. I No. 30,873. Patented Dec. 11, 1860.

' KM/W N- PEIERS, Hula-MW Wm QC.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

A. L. DENNISON, OF lVALTHAM, MASSADHUSE'I S.

IMPROVED METHOD OF REGULATING WATCHES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 30,873, dated December11, 1860.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that l, A. L. DENNISON, of lValtham, in the county ofMiddlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in the Regulators of Watches, of which the followingis a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which-Figure 1 is a plan of part of the works of a watch, showing thehair-sprin g and regulator with my improvements attached; Fig. 2, avertical section on the line or m of Fig. 1.

The ordinary method of regulating watches is by means of a small hand orindex pivoting on the top of the cock or plate which forms one of thebearings for the arbor of the balance-wheel, a portion of thehair-spring passing between two pins or studs which project down fromthe hand, so that as the hand is moved toward one side or the other overa graduated scale these pins will be moved nearer to or farther from thepoint at which the hair-spring is rigidly attached to a part of theframe of the watch, this change of the position of the pins permitting alonger or shorter vibration of the spring, and thus regulating the rateof going of the watch. The said pins..dohnotlmtuallybind orclasp thespring, but are placed close enough together toin'terrupt its vibrationsat the part of the spring opposite to which they happen to be, and yetleaving space enough between them to allow them to move along the springwhen the hand is moved. As this did not give a sufficiently nice adjnstment or means of regulating the vibrations of the hair-spring, afurther adjustment has been effected by changing the position of thepins so as to cause them to press more closely on the hair-spring, andthus more entirely check its vibrations beyond the point at which thepins come in contact with the spring. The means hereto- I fore employedfor giving this final adjustremedy this defect; and it consists informing one of the pins eccentric and attaching to its head a small handor index which will show the position of the pin and the degree to whichthe spring is confined between the two pins.

That others skilled in the art may understand and use my invention, 1will proced to describe the manner in which I have carried out the same.

In the said drawings, A is the plate or frame of the watch.

B is a cock which forms one of the bear ings of the arbor of thebalance-wheel.

U is the hair-spring, one end of which is secured at d to a stud b, theother end being connected with the balance wheel. (The wheel is notshown in the drawings.)

A hand or index D is attached by a friction ring or band 0 to a hub f,rising from the top of the cock B. This hand points to a scale E, and bymoving the hand toward one end or the other of the scale the vibrationsof the spring 0 are lengthened or shortened in the following manner: Anarm c, Fig. 2, projects from one side of the ring 0 and has two pins 8and 4t projecting down from its under side. These pins are in such aposition that the last coil of the spring 0 passes between them nearwhere its end is secured at a. They are placed just far enough apart toallow them to slide along the spring as the hand D is moved, but nearenough for the spring to touch as it vibrates, and thus the vibrationsof the spring are interrupted between thepoint of contact with the pinsand the point of attachment at a. They are not, however, caused entirelyto cease. After the watch has been thus regulated by the movement of thehand D a still further and nicer adjustment may be effected by closingmore or less the space between the pins 3 and 4, so that the amount ofvibration allowed to that part of the spring between the point ofcontact with the pins and the point of attachment at a may be regulatedwith great exactness. This is effected in the following manner: Asemicircular dial 6, with a graduated scale or arc around its edge, isattached to the top of the arm e. The pin 3 the lower end of which is ofan eccentric form) passes up through the arm 6 and dial 5 and has asmall hand a secured to its head, this hand pointing ,to the graduatedare on the dial z, the hand thus indicating the position of this pin. 3is turned, its side which projects beyond the axis of the pin is broughtmore or less near to the pin 4, and the spring 0 is held more or lessrigidly by the pins, and, as before stated, a remarkably nice adjustmentof the vibrations of the spring may be had, the hand n and scale on thedial 1' guiding the operator.

For the convenience of turning the pin 3, its head is out or notchedlike that of a screw,

As the pin

